BrowserOS vs Opera

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

BrowserOS is an open-source Chromium agent browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its agent runs on the AI you connect: an API key, a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, Claude Code or Codex, or a local model.

Opera One is Opera’s free Chromium browser on every desktop and phone, with a free browser VPN, an ad blocker, messengers in the sidebar and Opera AI. Its agents are in a separate browser, Opera Neon.

The short answer

Pick BrowserOS

if you want an open-source agent browser on your own AI keys or local models
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a signed-in browser over MCP
if you use Linux

Pick Opera

if you want a free browser VPN and an ad blocker built in
if you keep WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack open in a sidebar
if you sort work into workspaces, Tab Islands and split screen

Or Yabours

if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

BrowserOS and Opera, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

BrowserOS vs Opera
What	BrowserOS	Opera	Yab
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	Opera	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks and Speed Dials with an Opera account	Not yet
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free, with Opera AI and a browser VPN; VPN Pro is paid	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	Chat about pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP and a command line	MCP	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	Built in	Built in
Open source	Yes	No	No

Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.

Where they differ

What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.

AIBrowserOS leads

Only BrowserOS has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Opera AI answers about the page, Tab Islands, videos and files, and makes images, with no account; it doesn’t click or fill forms.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS can be driven over MCP and a command line, through a built-in MCP server with one-click setup for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and a command line. Opera can be driven over MCP, through Browser Connector, in early testing, which lets ChatGPT or Claude read and open tabs but not click or type.

Tabs and windowseven

BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Opera has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Opera: Free, with Opera AI and a browser VPN; VPN Pro is paid.

Where it runsOpera leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Opera runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Opera: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks and Speed Dials with an Opera account.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyOpera leads

BrowserOS has open code. BrowserOS sends prompts and pages only to the AI you connect, or keeps them local with Ollama or LM Studio; it sends anonymous usage analytics. Opera has an ad blocker built in and a VPN. Opera AI sends only the current page or Tab Island when you write with page access on; Opera says it doesn’t send your history.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

BrowserOS

No built-in model since version 0.51: connect a provider before the agent works
Its own docs say local models are too weak for agent tasks
Before 1.0 and changing fast: Skills and Memory were pulled in June 2026
No phone apps

Opera

Opera AI only chats and sums up; agents need Opera Neon at $19.90 a month
The free VPN covers the browser only, with three locations
The ad blocker is off until you turn it on
Browser Connector is in early testing and needs an Opera account

Yab, honestly

Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
New: first released in September 2026
Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
Closed source

What changed lately

October 5, 2026BrowserOS: Built-in model and account sign-in removed; Chromium 155 (0.51.0)
July 23, 2026Opera: Vertical tabs shipped to all Opera One users
June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
April 16, 2026Opera: Browser Connector lets ChatGPT and Claude read your tabs over MCP (Early Bird)
March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)
December 11, 2025Opera: Opera AI replaced Aria in Opera One, GX and Air

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.

Is Opera free?

Yes. Free, with Opera AI and a browser VPN; VPN Pro is paid.

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Opera?

BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Opera AI answers about the page, Tab Islands, videos and files, and makes images, with no account; it doesn’t click or fill forms.

Do BrowserOS and Opera run on Windows?

Yes, both. BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Opera on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do BrowserOS and Opera have phone apps?

Opera does. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Opera: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks and Speed Dials with an Opera account.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in BrowserOS; an agent in your signed-in tabs like BrowserOS’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is Mac only, and new.

More comparisons

BrowserOS vs Dia BrowserOS vs Comet BrowserOS vs Atlas BrowserOS vs Opera Neon BrowserOS vs Chrome BrowserOS vs Safari BrowserOS vs Edge BrowserOS alternatives Yab vs BrowserOS Opera vs Chrome Opera vs Safari Opera vs Edge Opera vs Firefox Opera vs Brave Arc vs Opera Dia vs Opera Opera alternatives Yab vs Opera

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

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